Got out nice and early today. How early?
Well, it was so early that…
I didn’t know what the weather was, or would be
during the first hour of my ride.
Usually, weather reports on the radio tell you
what the current temperature and conditions are at some central stations. And they tell you what will be at that
station, and in a generalized area around it, for the rest of the day, and
possibly for the next three days.
When I left my place, it was a bit cooler and
breezier than I expected. I didn’t mind that,
but I had to remind myself that even in the four or five kilometers between the
Central Park weather station and my apartment, conditions can change.
What that means, of course, is that the weather
could be even more different as you go further away—especially if the terrain
is different, there is greater or lesser density of buildings, or some other
factor affects the speed and direction of the wind.
Although it was about 15C (60F) when I left my
apartment—vs 17C (65F) at Central Park—it was as sunny here as the weather
report said. However, when I pedaled over the Veterans Memorial Bridge, 27km
(about 15 miles) from my place, this is what Rockaway Beach looked like from
the Jamaica Bay side:
The weather report didn’t mention the low-lying
fog. I wasn’t upset to see it; instead,
I was looking forward to riding through it as droplets of the cool sea mist
clung to my skin. Best of all, that fog
had spread itself all through the Rockaways, as far as I could see in either
direction—left to Atlantic Beach, Long Beach and Point Lookout, right to Fort
Tilden, Breezy Point and Brooklyn.
I turned right only because I rode to Point
Lookout yesterday. The ride did not
disappoint:
Light like that makes me wish I were a
painter! As a cyclist, I let and fill
and lift me. At least, that’s how I feel
when I allow it to direct my ride.
Arielle was game:
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